August 2008 Blog Posts (13)

My baby went to kindergarten today. What a bittersweet moment. Has it been 5 years already? A part of me wanted to be sad and hold onto him but he was so excited about going that I had to be excited too. He wanted to ride the bus and I agreed, but the bus driver forgot to come by so I was able to take him to school. He had a wonderful day. His teachers are great. I can't believe all the things he is going to learn this year. A lot of people have asked me if I was ok with him starting school. I… Continue

I copied this in from the other Parent Project message board and it was suggested I post here as well. So here it goes:

Hi,
Well, we're new to this game here. My son was diagnosed with DMD initially on April 21st (one week to the day of his 5th birthday). Official diagnosis confirmed based on genetic testing on June 10th - point mutation. We SIMPLY went to the doctor's for his kindergarten physical and through very casual conversation his nurse practicioner decided to run a… Continue

Brad's birthday week-end was so much fun. Carowinds was fairly crowded but we were able to ride most everything we wanted without waiting too long.

His party at The Little Gym was fantastic! We had about 16 kids ranging in age from 2 - 10 and they all had a blast. The staff there did a phenomenal job of getting everyone involved and helping them participate at their own level. Brad had so much fun we are thinking about letting him try karate or gymnastics there. Everything is… Continue

Traveling is often viewed by the "infrequent flier" as some wonderful activity filled with adventure. Whether by van, train or plane, my sons regularly log many miles. I suppose to an outsider, traveling is somewhat romantic, but add TSA foolishness, delays in airline service and the many other travel inconveniences and I see things a little differently.

My sons next regular appointments were at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Driving from Maine to Ohio is a roughly… Continue

Today is Brad's birthday and he is now 5 years old. I have been reminiscing about that night/early morning when my first-born came into this world. Everything went pretty well except that I was in labor a long time without really progressing and wound up having a C-section anyway. Brad had a giant head - enough said. Anyway, he was beautiful and perfect - 9 lbs. 13 oz. 21 inches long. And just like that my life changed and I was his mom.

Bernie Brillstein has passed away. He created the muppets, SNL, Ghostbusters and much much more. My husband was working for him when Anthony was diagnosed with DMD and he was so unbelievably compassionate and finanacially generous to our cause and to us personally. I want to take amoment to reflect on the passing of someone who's acitons will continue to live and take on a life of thier own.

He would be proud to know how much progress we have made since his intial support! May he… Continue

This morning I got up before six and ran eight miles (A good run helps to clear the cobwebs from my head and prepares me for the day.). After I finished stretching and changed my shirt I began getting my sons out of bed. My wife, Alice, beat me to the shower, so I helped Matthew and Patrick change their clothes, take care of "business"and got them cereal for breakfast. By the time I had the boys' medicines and milk ready Alice and I changed roles. I took my shower (Having already sustained… Continue

I get asked for this information quite often. I'm still getting used to this new site. I thought this might be a way for people to get at the information easily.

You can access the Medic Alert Website at
www.medicalert.org (US)
www.medicalert.ca (Canada)

They provide a bracelet that your son should wear at all times. My son wears his 24 7. I worked closely with my pediatrician and one of the medic alert nurses to determine what should be on the bracelet. My son's… Continue

Sitting in on the research sessions must feel a bit like betting on horses, feeling the need to take a side, pick one or perhaps two approaches and make some determination about the likelihood for success based on certain data. And it appears so much depends on the ‘code’ – the specific mutation, the particular horse you think is likely to win and where what will be required in terms of function in order to be a candidate for trial.

I am sure most have seen the movie, Finding Nemo. We saw it when Micah was 2 something years old in the theaters when it came out in 2003. We pre-ordered it on DVD so we could get the 4 walnut framed art prints to decorate his room with. We got wooden blinds of Nemo for the big window in his room (to see what it looks like,… Continue

The MDA summer camp my sons Matthew and Patrick have attended for several years has changed its format cutting the length of stay in half to accommodate those on a small waiting list. To be clear, this decision was made by the organization that operates the camp, not the MDA. My wife and I discussed the challenges of packing the boys' clothing, lift, Bi-Pap, Cough Assist and battery chargers for just four full days of camp. We then talked to Matthew and Patrick who agreed a two plus hour ride… Continue